Ditib’s leadership said it had no prior knowledge of the Taliban official’s planned appearance.
Germany has expressed its strong condemnation of the appearance of Abdul Bari Omar, a Taliban official associated with Afghanistan’s health authority, at a mosque in Cologne.
The incident took place during a conference organized by an Afghan association in the city. Interior Minister Nancy Faeser stated that “the appearance of a representative of the Taliban in Cologne is completely unacceptable and must be strongly condemned.”
He highlighted the need for Ditib, the Turkish-Islamic association that manages the mosque, to explain the use of the venue for such an event.
Ditib’s leadership said it had no prior knowledge of the Taliban official’s planned appearance.
“Unlike the original contract, it became a political event and a speaker we didn’t know was invited,” he says.
Ditib rejected “any proximity, even spiritual, to the Taliban.”
The German Foreign Ministry revealed that the Taliban official did not possess a visa to enter Germany, indicating that he used a Schengen visa issued by a neighboring country.
Despite the lack of prior approval, Abdul Bari Omar managed to attend the event, reportedly arriving from the Netherlands after participating in a World Health Organization conference in early November.
Since the Taliban’s resurgence in August 2021, Western nations have frozen significant amounts of aid and assets, impacting Afghanistan’s aid-dependent economy.
Ditib, recognized as one of Germany’s largest Islamic organisations, is now facing scrutiny and demands for clarity over the circumstances surrounding the Taliban official’s controversial appearance at the Cologne mosque.
